Babies

I am grateful for babies. Babies in general, but especially my babies.

There is just something about holding this little thing in your arms that is totally and completely dependent on you...I really don't think there are words to describe it. And when they smile at you I swear it's worth more than gold!!!

I TRULY believe there is something about snuggling the baby that is good for the soul!

I made this little video of some of the things I love that Hannah's doing right now. Enjoy!

Music, Sisters, & In-laws

I think my 1 thankful post every day was a little ambitious. I'm thankful for plenty things, but posting every day...that gets a little hard. So here's for the last three days:
First of all, I'm thankful for good music. On Thursday I was kind of having a downer day. Nothing had happened to make it a downer day, it just was one of those days. Bart knew this because we had talked that day, and he came home and told me he was listening to Weezer and it totally reminded him of me. Then he put on "(If you're wondering if I want you to) I want you to." TOTALLY turned my day around! Thank you Weezer! And thank you Husband who knows exactly what it is that will make my day! I love you.

It's not just Weezer I love. I love any music that makes me want to dance...which is just about any music. I also love Christmas music, church music, music that I can slow dance with Bart to. I love hearing a song that you used to listen to all the time, but haven't heard in a while. It brings back all those memories of the time when you listened to it so much! I LOVE IT! I love good music.

Next, I'm grateful for sisters. It was Lisa's birthday on Friday, so it got me to thinking about our trip to California a few weeks ago when we got to see her (did I mention we went to California for my brother's homecoming? I can't remember...yeah, I mentioned it...man, October was a whirlwind). Our first night in California, all of my sisters & I were in our bedroom just laying/sitting/standing around visiting. AND IT WAS AWESOME!!! I especially enjoyed having Stacy there. I think the last few times we've been down to visit, Stacy's been glued to her cell phone. I don't like sharing my sisters, even if it's with their friends. ;o) Three weeks away from it did her good! I finally felt like I had my sister back!!! And just all of us lounging around laughing and talking. Man! It was awesome!!!
I also was thinking about two Christmases ago when we were getting ready to go to church. We were all in mom's bathroom getting ready (except Lisa I think because she was getting ready in her house...we should have gone and gotten her). It was so fun being in that fancy bathroom, just us girls. We were sharing makeup, hair product, brushes, shoes, sweaters, etc. Stuff only sisters can do. I love my sisters!

Finally, I am grateful for my in-laws. Sometimes I feel like it's so funny calling them in-laws. They don't feel like in-laws. They just feel like family. Bart's grandma feels like my grandma. His aunts, uncles, and cousins feel like my aunts, uncles, and cousins. And it feels like they've been my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma for my whole life!!! I Love it! I LOVE my mother-in-law, and siblings-in-law. Going there to visit them feels just like going home. We have so much fun. I love it! I have been working with a few of my sister-in-laws (or is it sisters-in-law?) on a project for the past little while, and it's been a blast! It's so fun to be able to work together with them on something. I'm SOOOOOOOOO grateful for such a wonderful extended family! I'm so lucky I married Bart!

Giraffe

So I asked Addison what I should be grateful for today and she said, "Umm....a Giraffe" Okay. Let's broaden it a little. I am grateful for animals. Yeah, even with that broader definition this one is a bit difficult for me, (To be honest with you, I'm not a big animal person) but here goes:

I love how much my daughter loves animals. I love that every time we drive by a horse in a field she gets sooooooooo excited and says, "Mommy! A HORSE!!!" I love that other people have pets that my daughter can see without me having to deal with the responsibility of owning a pet.

I do like watching animals. I like watching birds. I loved our safari where we got to spend hours and hours just looking for and watching animals. They really are impressive in their natural habitat. The zoo just isn't the same.

That being said, I do love the zoo. I love how much not only Addison loves it, but how much Bart loves it. Every time we plan on going to the zoo he sings the little song:

"We're going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo,

You can come too, too, too.

We're going to the Zoo, zoo, zoo."

Seriously, he's like a kid in a candy store when we go to the zoo. It's really cute.

Monkeys are pretty cool too...even at the zoo.

I like taking pictures of animals. I like taking video of animals. I actually don't mind animals as long as they're not our pets. I don't like cleaning up after animals.

I do appreciate animals by way of food. :o) I love milk, eggs, turkey, beef, etc. We wouldn't have those if it wasn't for animals.

I do like Giraffe's cool long tongues (see cool picture above). I think the elephant is my favorite animal, but the giraffe is a close 2nd. I am grateful for animals.

On a completely un-related note, In the time I have been writing this post, Addison has brought me not one, not two, but three fish from our fishing game (the one where the fish go around in circles and open and close their mouths and you try and catch them with your fishing pole) that she had put goldfish crackers in the fish's mouths. They were stuck and she needed me to get the fish out. I'm slightly disturbed. It feels like cannibalism. Make that four...no, five....no...she just brought me a whole bag of them. I seriously think she put fish in every fish's mouth. Weird.

I also love to eat fish. They're yummy.

Literature and Blogs

Whether it is because the author paints a picture in my mind that evokes the exact emotion she is trying to conjure, or because I have fallen in love with, and want to name my children after, the characters in a book, I LOVE good literature.

I love reading it on my own. I love reading it for classes. I love reading it to my kids. I love reading it with my husband. I love curling up in a blanket in front of a fire on a cold, rainy or snowy day with a good book. I LOVE good literature.

I am SOOOOOOOOO grateful for people out there who have the talent to tell stories.

I'm not kidding about the wanting to name my children after characters in books either. So far Bart has vetoed every attempt I've made: Scarlet, Elizabeth, Cosette, Charlotte, Ophelia, Desdemona, Hermonie. Okay, I haven't actually wanted to name my girls all those names, but some of them I have! Maybe I'll be luckier if we have a boy: Jean, Rhett, Fitzwilliam, Tom. Oh Tom. Good, faithful, loyal, unwavering, strong, true Tom. I may have to go and read that book again.

Anyway, I am grateful for good literature.

And because I'm consistently not-consistent about writing every day, here's #2. I am grateful for blogs. (In case you couldn't tell, these are in no particular order). There are so many friends I would know nothing about if it weren't for blogs. I'm grateful for this easy way to keep updated on their lives.I'm also grateful for the abundance of knowledge and ideas out there on blogs. From food, to crafts, to Photoshop techniques, to young women activity ideas. There is SOOOOOOO much out there! And I love that it's right at the touch of your fingers.

I also love the opportunity to document our lives for our loved ones who live far away...and perhaps some day for my children or grandchildren. I love looking through old family history documents and stories. If blogs existed 50 years ago and my grandparents had made one, I could seriously see myself poring over it's pages for hours. I just love that type of stuff. My children probably won't be as crazy as me, but in case they are, I'm glad this will be out there forever for them to see.

I'm going to try it

Jessica, you inspired me. I'm going to try and post about something I'm grateful for every day this month. I've already missed one, but I'll list two things today to make up for yesterday's lack of thankful posts.

First of all, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO grateful for health. I know, an odd thing to be grateful for considering my health this past week, but it's made me realize just how much I appreciate it when I am healthy. And I don't have a terminal sickness. This will go away. I will eventually be healthy, and it will be relatively soon. I am grateful that I have healthy kids and a healthy husband. Bart and Addison so far have not gotten sick, and even Hannah is no longer showing any symptoms. We are able to run, jump, dance, play, hike, and do just about whatever we want, whenever we want to. I am grateful for that.

I'm grateful for modern medicine that has eliminated some of the horrible diseases of the past, especially in our part of the world, and has given us vaccinations to avoid other horrible diseases still out there. And I'm grateful for doctors who can diagnose and treat sicknesses when they do strike.

Number Two. I'm grateful for the sun.

No matter how cold it gets, if the sun is shining, it's a good day.

I love the way it brings out the vivid colors of the world around me, especially this time of year.

I love feeling it's warmth on my face and arms when I am working or playing outside.

I have been couped up inside for over a week now, sleeping as much as possible, and have really missed the sun. Right now it is poring into my kitchen through my windows and glass door, and even though I'm not 100% better, the sun alone is making me feel great!

I love how it heats up a car on a cold afternoon. The air around you is cold, so you expect the inside of the car to be cold, but when you get it, there's a pleasant surprise.

I love how it suddenly lights up the morning as it peeks out over the mountains, and how it turns the sky a brilliant array of colors as it dips below the horizon at night.

I love how, when it rains, in the distance, it lights up the rain leaving streaks running from the clouds to the ground. I love how it creates rainbows after it has rained.

I am grateful for the sun.